Hi Folks,
It was a scorcher out there last week, but we made it through. We typically harvest your vegetables first thing in the morning before it gets hot and then we either cool them further with water or put them straight into our walk in cooler. We prioritize getting greens out of the field first because their quality is most likely to decrease with heat and then we move on to things like carrots, beets and potatoes. Careful attention to the post harvest handling of veggies increases their shelf life. This week I heard a few comments about how long our veggies stay fresh compared to store bought veggies. I'm glad to hear that our diligence is paying off!
I'm not exactly sure of the impact 38 degree weather will have on a field of vegetables. That type of heat is likely to stress out some of the crops we grow. Many plants respond to stress by moving into a reproductive cycle, meaning they move from vegetative growth to producing flowers and eventually seeds. I'm hoping that our lettuce, which is particularly sensitive to heat, pulls through so that we can all continue to enjoy our salads.
In any event, the weather looks much more reasonable this week and we have a whole lot of vegetables coming at you.
See you soon,
Mike
